Ethics & AIAI Data Centers: The Energy and Water Bill Coming Due
AI data centers are now a national-scale energy story. The IEA projects global data center electricity rising from 415 TWh in 2024 to 945 TWh by 2030, with AI the main driver. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory projects US data centers reach 7-12% of national electricity by 2028, with direct water use of 16-33 billion gallons. Liquid cooling cuts water 70-90% but not electricity, the dominant cost. The ethical asks are transparency, fair cost attribution rather than socializing grid upgrades onto households, real additionality of clean energy, and water-siting discipline.
By Aisha Patel · 5 min · Jun 1, 2026
